3 principles millennials travel by

February 17, 2016

As a follow-up to last week's post on millennial travellers, we thought we'd take a closer look at what influences their travel decisions.

In our opinion, they're well worth spending a bit of time getting to know, with the group expected to take 320 million international trips come 2020 – compared with the 217 million trips they made in 2013.

That makes them the most travel-happy of any group, according to travel market research firm PhoCusWright, so let's take a look at some of the principles they live – or rather travel – by:

"Holidays are a time for indulgence"

Most of us will set ourselves a budget when we go on holiday – especially if we've already spent thousands of pounds just getting to our destination. Millennials, i.e. people born between 1980 and 2000, are much less likely to set themselves monetary restrictions, even if it will mean a tight few months upon returning home.

A survey from Chase Card Services reveals that millennial travellers are twice as likely as any other age group to indulge in massage or spa services. In addition, 32% of millennials say they would use dry cleaning services at their chosen hotel, despite the likely premium on prices.

What do these findings tell us? Millennials won't let budgetary constraints get in the way of having a good time.

"Reviews play a big part in my trip"

A firm's reputation online is so important in this day and age. Garner too many bad reviews and your bottom line will feel the effects. Nobody places a greater importance on reviews than millennials: around 80% of the 18-30 age group say they consider reviews to be very important when planning business and leisure trips, according to an Expedia study.

They're prepared to make their own opinion known, too, once they've returned from their trip – even if they haven't got anything particularly nice to say. While most people are still inclined to hold off from making their negative opinion public, millennials think that poor services need to be named and, well, shamed.

What do these findings tell us? Businesses need to get it right, or they'll be reading about their failings online.

"Technology is a fundamental part of the travelling experience"

It comes as little surprise, but we're now at a point where nearly all (97%) millennial travellers post on social networks and share experiences with friends when travelling, the Chase Card Services study revealed.

The ubiquity of smartphones is to thank for that, with 91% of UK millennials said to now own a smartphone – half of which are using their phones every five minutes. Therefore, don't be surprised if a Wi-Fi code is the first thing they ask for as they come through the doors of your hotel or aircraft (that might be a little ambitious of them, mind).

What do these findings tell us? Millennials are "always on", so businesses have got to give the impression they are, too.

So it seems, while millennials can be a demanding bunch, they don't tend to ask for anything too extraordinary: they just want to be able to relax, safe in the knowledge they are in good hands, before telling all their friends what a great time they're having.